We've moved!

I'm so excited that we're moving to another magnificent Merchant City building, The Corinthian Club on Ingram Street! It's a beautiful old building which has been lovingly restored.

Classes will begin on SUNDAY 9 MARCH 2014 and we'll be running a full timetable from then. You'll find our full schedule on our website www.merchantcityyoga.com and you can still book and pay online as normal. In fact, I'd recommend booking for the busier classes as our class capacity is smaller than at Peckhams!

All passes will be extended to accommodate the closure.

We'll be at The Corinthian Club until I find us wonderful new permanent premises in the coming months.

I'd be really grateful for your help to spread the word far and wide amongst your friends that we're back.

When you arrive at The Corinthian for class there's a full time receptionist/concierge who'll direct you to the correct room. There are toilets nearby for changing, and you'll have to take all your belongings in to class as they can't be safely left.

The Corinthian have very kindly agreed to store half a dozen mats for us, but to avoid disappointment please bring your own mat where possible!

All of us are really looking forward to seeing you in our glorious new home, so grab your mat and come back to class - we've missed you!

Judi Farrell

What began as a class taken once a week in the local sports centre has become a passion and a way of life.

After starting a new job and enduring six months of sleepless nights Judi attended her first yoga class – an act of desperation! In a very short time her weekly yoga class worked its magic, helping to alleviate stress and anxiety.

Further workshops inspired Judi to seek to deepen her practice and understanding of yoga by enrolling in the Yoga Scotland Foundation Course. Gradually yoga became more than just something to be done in a weekly class.

On completion of the course Judi was so eager to continue her yoga journey she enrolled on CYS teacher training at Chi Yoga School, Glasgow. It was here Judi's enthusiasm for Ashtanga yoga was ignited – the flow of breath and movement, the discipline of a challenging sequence and the respect and humility that comes from practicing in an ancient tradition.

Judi owns and runs MCY and is a Senior Teacher on the CYS Teacher Training Programme. She has been practicing yoga for 16 years and spent three months of practice and study at the KPJYRI in Mysore, India in 2012.

Alanna Dearden

Alanna first discovered yoga and meditation practice whilst backpacking through India and Nepal in 2001. On settling in Glasgow in 2002 she found June Mitchell’s Ashtanga class at the Chi Yoga Centre, and was instantly drawn to this dynamic, graceful practice which synchronizes breath and movement.

In 2009 she qualified as a Yoga Alliance accredited teacher under the tuition of June Mitchell and Julie Hanson of CYS (RYS 200). In the same year she completed training with Amanda Reid of Samadhi Family Yoga (New Zealand) to teach Yoga for Pregnancy and Birth, and Yoga for Post Natal and Infants in 2011. Alanna has particular interest mindfulness based interventions and in 2007 she completed a 7 day professional training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Mind-Body Medicine led by Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD & Saki Santorelli EdD, MA. Alanna’s personal practice and teaching continues to be deeply influenced by mindfulness meditation. She regularly attends workshops held by international yoga teachers to continue to develop her personal practice, and is always learning with an open heart.

Alanna is a mother of two energetic boys and is deeply grateful for the gift that sustained yoga practice has provided in helping her cultivate compassion and humour through the adventures of motherhood!

Yoga has allowed Alanna to become more deeply connected to life, far reaching beyond the mat. The practice offers her a more meaningful way of being in the world, which allows daily life to be more grounding, enriching and joyful. The transformative nature of regular yoga practice continues to inspire Alanna to create an environment for others to learn from their own unique experience of yoga one breath at a time.

Gemma Maryan

Gemma started her love affair with yoga over 6 years ago, there has not been many days when she has not been on the mat, so all in all that clocks up a fair amount of hands on mat experience. She has a strong Ashtanga practice but also likes to mix it up with Vinyasa and Hatha Flow as well as Yin Yoga.

Gemma believes that as a teacher it is fundamental to be continually updating skills through courses and workshops to help with both professional development and personal practice. She started her yoga teaching career as a Bikram teacher and then continued her yoga education with June Mitchell the Director and founder of Classical Yoga School Scotland.

She's very interested in the continual development of the spiritual side of practice and holds firm in her belief that when there is regular practice the spiritual aspects will take on a profound relevance in the life of the practitioner.

Gemma is deeply committed to teaching yoga to all levels of students and places a strong emphasis on alignment and building strong foundations. She is a Yoga Alliance UK 200hr registered yoga teacher and a Reiki Practitioner.

Jilly Walsh

Jilly began practicing Yoga in 1999 and in 2007 she enrolled for teacher training at the Chi Yoga School. There, Jilly was taught under the exceptional tuition and guidance of Julie Hanson and June Mitchell. Jilly’s class is Vinyasa and Seasonal Flow - designed to invigorate, strengthen and sculpt the body and mind by combining postures into a flow & rhythmic sequence. The practice promotes overall wellbeing, flexibility, vitality and stress release. The aim and focus of the class is to attain a higher level of health and fitness.